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The Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) project has launched a US$1Million Innovation Fund to support Non-Governmental and Civil Society Organizations with creative and innovative ideas to support the RING project to improve the livelihoods and nutrition status of vulnerable households in Northern Region. To announce the modalities of the Innovation Fund, RING organized a one-day pre-application briefing session for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations in Ghana wishing to apply for the project�s Innovation Fund this year in Tamale. The Innovation Fund, which is part of the Annual Program Statement (APS) of the RING project will fund proposals with new and improved ideas and innovations to develop and pilot new results for future inclusion in the RING project approved menu of activities with a funding support ranging between US$ 25,000 to a ceiling of US$100,000 for each proposal selected and approved. Briefing the participants, the RING Chief of Party (COP) Mr. Philippe LeMay said the briefing session marked a special day in the history of the RING project, since it was the beginning of RING private sector initiative in support to the Government of Ghana to improve nutrition and reduce poverty in the Northern Region. �Your presence here today is really the beginning of the engagement of the RING project with the private sector actors, since most of you are from NGOs and associations, but our partnership is also open to private sector organizations that are for profit under certain conditions� Mr. LeMay stressed. Tourching on governance at the district levels, Mr. LeMay said the RING project would continue to strengthen the abilities of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council and the District Assemblies to identify the needs of vulnerable communities through technical training for all the District Assembly staff as well as upskill the DAs in the areas of public financial management, budgeting, procurement and community engagement. Explaining the requirements for accessing the Innovation Fund, The Sub-contracts and Grants Specialist of RING, Madam Modesta A. Asooh said the Innovation Fund will support proposals for new and improved ideas and innovations geared towards developing and piloting new results-based activities for future inclusion in RING approved menu lists of activities, test modifications that can improve the effectiveness of existing RING menu activities as well as test innovative approaches that can scale-up and sustain the existing RING menu activities. The Innovation Fund Madam Asooh further explained would support proposals that are highly innovative with direct impact on nutrition and hygiene for women and children and significant impact on the social and economic status of women of reproductive age and children under five. �The Innovation Fund will support approaches that have the potential to be easily and successfully replicated by District Assemblies and implementing partners in the Northern Region and these innovations should be cost effective, results based and above all sustainable even after the closure of the RING project,� Madam Asooh emphasized. According Madam Asooh the cumulative ceiling amount that successful organizations can receive under the APS will not exceed US$1 Million and the maximum grant duration should not also exceed 12 months, meaning implementation of activities in the proposals should not go beyond 12 months. Madam Asooh also called on private research and higher learning organizations, private sector companies ready to waive profit and fees, farmer organizations, entrepreneurial organizations especially those involved in agriculture, nutrition, water and sanitation sectors, women and youth groups and communication for behavior change organizations to submit proposals for funding under the Innovation Fund of RING. In all, 249 Non-Governmental and Community Based Organizations attended the briefing session. RING is a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project focused on poverty reduction to improve the nutrition and livelihood status of vulnerable households in Northern Region through agriculture, livelihood and WASH, nutrition, good governance and community engagement and currently being implemented in 17 districts in the Northern Region.